Pizan so obviously from the start of her writing, introduces how women should behave (from the perspective of a princess), so that her actions shall be beneficial to her and her husband. By talking about the finances, which is radical, Pizan degrades women in all other aspects. Degrading is used in the sense that she does not promote equality in any other way other than the financial aspect. These women could be considered early feminists if they looked for equality in other things as well not just a specific
In this novel, Julia Alvarez manages to capture and express the true feelings of women which deconstructs the stereotypes through Yo. Feminism is defined as “a political movement that works to achieve equal rights for women and men” (Hirsch 113). For the past ages, women were seen in the society as inferior to men and were greatly excluded from education and the right to property ownership. A British feminist named Mary Wollstonecraft argues, “educational restrictions keep women in a state of ignorance and slavish dependence” (Blake 117). The shattering of classifications and stereotypes, and the subversion of traditional gender roles, and the concept of sisterhood or unity among women are among the main tenets of feminist criticism.
Culture and Women In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and “How to date a browngirl, blackgirl, whitegirl or halfie” by Junot Diaz, both authors elaborate on culture, and how it shapes the outlook on women. In Jamaica Kincaid's “Girl” a mother enforces her cultures strong beliefs on appropriate female behavior onto her daughter. To do so, she displays her parental authority with a series of short commands influenced by her culture. A sense of naivety can be seen in the young girl after questioning her mother's request. The culture associated with “Girl” has a definite attitude towards women, believing they should live a modest, conservative lifestyle.
Charlotte Temple The story of Charlotte Temple is not just another novel. It is not just a story about an innocent, naïve and misguided young girl that has to live with the consequences of her bad choices in life. This novel is an attempt to educate and guide young women at the time into making the right decisions in life. The novel illustrates a number of different issues for women during the time period, but the main issue or decision Rowson is trying to educate the women on is marriage. Marriage is a major theme in this novel and the novel gives different examples of marriage.
The Cookie Crumbles “The Cookie Crumbles” is an article about a not so typical Girl Scout group in America. In fact, this is one of the most controversial groups today. It may seem lame that this type of story would be in a college text book, but this article goes into detail about how these Girl Scout camps are being run by lesbians. The author Kathryn Lopez talks about how these young girls are being affected, and how their morals are changing today. As you get more in depth in the article, Lopez has a very liberal opinion on this controversial topic, as she talks about “Girls Speak Out” and girl scouts getting their “Decisions for Your Life” badge you can tell by her writing that she has a bias opinion.
Anne Elliot is an “unfortunate heroine” 1. “She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequence of an unnatural beginning” (p29). ‘Prudence’ is what increases her susceptibility to being persuaded to follow a course of actions “through argument or belief” 2. Persuasion has been described as having a Cinderella-like theme – a vulnerable young woman is harshly treated by her family, and is rescued by her hero through good fortune and magic 1. However, Anne Elliot is not a passive heroine, and her fortune and misfortune are not brought about by fate.
SHAW AND LEE: Chapter 6: 1. a. Society believes the woman is supposed to have self-restraint until marriage which is not at all comparable to the man. They are free to go out and express whatever they want without any out lash. Man are sort of rewarded for their sexual transcript. When a women has a sexual transcript they are frowned upon.
Though the novel represents many feministic ideas in relation to marriage, it should not be read and discussed solely from this perspective. This statement is commented by Ramsey who claims that the story is “both a precursor to the modern feminist agenda yet also a reactionary tale embalming Hurston’s tender passions for a very traditional male” (1994: 38). In spite of the fact that the scholar agrees that Janie gains some self-belief and self-realization in the course of time, he still perceives her as a woman who cannot survive without a man by her side who would support her. It seems that she has a strong need to have someone by her side to support her when something goes wrong. This argument is confirmed by another researcher, Jennifer
‘During Jane Eyre, theme of appearance and reality is the cornerstone of the novel’ During the novel, Jane has appeared to suppress her feelings of being an independent woman. Although, this is what Jane appears to want in reality. Feminism at the time was not very good and not very up to scratch. Women were seen as an ornament for men, and men believed that women should do what they say. They were almost treating women like children.
Jane Austen however takes this conception and gently blends both of the qualities into one female character as if to show women of her time that they can be more and have control in a society, which greatly restraints them, by first obtaining control over themselves. Thus she instead creates the opposition of two young women – the overspiritted Marianne and the self controlled Elinor. To make matters clear we should, however, say that “Austen does... not condone an exclusion of sensibility entirely; rather, in Elinor’s character Austen is arguing that women, and even men, can still allow themselves to feel without finding their “understandings neglected.”“ (Melz, 23). Indeed it would be a bit too easy to label either one of the heroines as a representative of only one of these characteristics. Elinor‘s seeming lack of feelings is actually a screen for a complexed but contained nature and the hurricane of emotions that Marianne expresses is taimed through sense in the end of the novel.